2003

WASHINGTON-The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that mobile phones and other small electronic devices could be used by terrorists in government buildings and other areas with security checkpoints, including airports. DHS sent the advisory encouraging further scrutiny of these …

All motorists engage in potentially dangerous distracting activities while driving, including talking on cell phones, according to a new survey from the American Automobile Association’s Foundation for Traffic Safety. According to the association, distracted driving accounts for 25 percent to …

NEW YORK-Andrew Corp. said it has agreed to sell $200 million in 3.25-percent convertible subordinated notes to undisclosed buyers, while the company will buy back 5 million common shares it sold for about $49.8 million. The company has set Aug. …

GENEVA, Switzerland-Nokia Corp. said it has signed an agreement to supply Switzerland’s Sunrise with its W-CDMA core network, which will be commercially available by the end of 2004. The Finnish vendor will also provide support in managing, implementing and integrating …

BOSTON-American Tower Corp. has closed its previously announced offerings of Class A common stock and 3.25-percent convertible notes due 2010. With the closing of the Class A common stock offering, American Tower issued 12.4 million shares for $104.8 million. The …

LOS ANGELES-Under an innovative new marketing agreement, wireless data company Moviso will offer prepaid ring-tone cards featuring musicians from record company BMG. Moviso will sell the cards through 7-Eleven and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. “BMG recognizes the tremendous marketing and …

SAN BRUNO, Calif.-IPWireless said its Mobile Broadband system has been selected by AtlasOne for its national broadband wireless network in Malaysia. The agreement is part of a $180 million deal signed by AtlasOne and Thales last week, the company said. …

BEAVERTON, Ore.-Tektronix Inc. said its UMTS protocol tester has been chosen by the Beijing Northern Fiberhome Technologies Co. Ltd. “UMTS release 4 is the next step in the migration toward full implementation of 3G UMTS networks,” said Tektronix. “In order …

WASHINGTON-As suspected due to last week’s Pentagon press conference, the Coalition Provisional Authority has changed the rules regarding government ownership of telecommunications companies wanting to offer mobile-phone service in Iraq from 5 percent to 10 percent. “No government shall directly …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Graphics chipmaker Nvidia said it will usher into the wireless device market with the purchase of MediaQ, which makes processors to improve the display and battery life of handheld devices. Nvidia will take advantage of MediaQ customers, which …

ARLINGTON, Va.-Iridium Satellite L.L.C. said Aug. 4 it has launched short messaging service to its customers that use Iridium 9505 handsets and 9522 L-band receivers. Subscribers can send and receive up to 160 characters per message to and from anywhere …

IRVING, Texas-NEC America Inc. and Motorola Inc. have come together for wireless voice and data by converging their wireless local area networks, voice over Internet Protocol and cellular communication solutions based on 802.11 technologies. The convergence will work on enterprise …

WASHINGTON-Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings (D-S.C.), ranking member on both the Senate Commerce Committee and the appropriations subcommittee with control over the Federal Communications Commission’s budget, said Monday he would not seek re-election and would retire when his term expires in …

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California approved Leap Wireless International Inc.’s disclosure statement filed in connection with the company’s proposed reorganization plan, which Leap said it plans to mail to creditors and shareholders by Aug. 7 …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc said it has agreed on the terms of a cash offer for U.K. corporate market wireless reseller Project Telecom plc for about $249 million. The acquisition would give Vodafone a stronger foothold in the lucrative enterprise market, …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless reported a roaming agreement with Wayport Inc. that will allow the carrier’s customers to roam onto Wayport’s more than 650 wired and wireless high-speed Internet access locations across the country at speeds of up to 1.5 megabits …

BOSTON-Most people completely replacing their landline phones with wireless phones are between 18 and 24 years old, according to The Yankee Group’s 2003 Mobile User Young Adult Survey. While 12 percent of respondents who said they had replaced their landline …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Western Wireless Corp. reported $359.2 million in total revenues during the second quarter compared with $290.8 million posted during the second quarter of 2002. Net income also increased from a loss of $27.4 million last year, a loss of …

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.-Sprint PCS said it will build out a number of markets in Montana, including Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula, previously assigned to affiliate UbiquiTel Inc. during the next 12 to 18 months. The agreement will …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc signed a deal with Sony Pictures Mobile for new entertainment products based on Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as original and third-party content for Vodafone’s Live! multimedia service. Vodafone announced several games based on Sony Pictures Entertainment …

TOKYO-Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. will consolidate their wireless technology operations in a joint venture company. The new company will focus on development, production, sales, maintenance, construction, and export of broadcast antennas, fixed communications aerials and …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. officially announced it has reached an agreement with bankrupt license holder NextWave Telecom Inc. to purchase spectrum licenses covering 34 markets and 83 million potential customers for $1.4 billion. The deal, which primarily covers markets where Cingular …

Rural Cellular Corp. reported $127.1 million in total revenues during the second quarter of 2003 compared with $118.9 million the carrier posted during the same quarter last year. The increase was due to a $10.5 million jump in service revenue, …

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-Total wireless handsets shipped reached 107 million units in the second quarter, demonstrating 12-percent year-on-year growth and 2-percent sequential growth, according to research from ABI. New features including color screens and camera phones likely fueled the growth. Replacement …

One day after a surprising surge in its stock price, wireless data company I3 Mobile Inc. announced it has signed a non-binding letter of intent with ACE*COMM Corp. to be acquired via a merger with ACE*COMM or a wholly owned …